Claire's Twilight
by Zivgo
Summary: After Sylar scalps Claire and gains her power the Bennet family move to the small, rainy town of Forks where she meets a suspicious family even more different to regular people than she is. One of the members of this family, Edward Cullen catches her attention leading the pair to figure out the other's secrets.
1. First Sight

As we started unpacking the house after our most recent move dad pulls me aside to predictably warn me yet again off standing out, telling me to just blend in.

"We need to be more careful now Claire, we can't just call the Hattian whenever someone sees you heal and we don't want to have to restart again now" He'd told me, before handing me a set of car keys so I could drive Lyle and myself to school. He also reminded me to lock my doors.

Forks was a lot different from the bright and sunny places I've lived in. Instead of the warmth, I got in Texas and California I now get rain and moss. It also means I'm living on the opposite side of the country from my bio dad, my uncle and my grandmother which is yet another dreary fact.

It's difficult for me to relate to people my own age. Hell even to most people, period. What am I going to say? 'Hi, I'm Claire Bennet, I heal really quick and can regrow limbs. Also, there was this psychopath who decided to scalp me and play with my brain not long ago and now I can't feel pain'. Yeah, that'd go over really matter how hard I try I can't be normal and I have no clue how my dad thinks I'll be able to jest blend in with a bunch of teenagers with next to no life experience.

Sleeping was hard that night. Sleeping had been hard for quite some time seeing as every time I closed my eyes I'd relieve that dreadful experience. The addition of constant rain and wind didn't exactly help my predicament either. But eventually, I somehow managed to get some sleep.

The thick fog that covered the town could be seen the entire morning from when I got up, got ready and urged Lyle that it was time to leave. It was even Lingering as I walked to the office to sort out my schedule as Lyle went on his own to the middle school.

The office was brightly lit and quite warm in comparison to the outside. There were potted plants scattered all over the place as if there was not enough greenery outside. A red headed woman sat behind the counter with all sorts of paperwork around her.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked me.

"I'm Claire Bennet" I informed her, and saw the instant recognition in her eyes. I expect in such a small town the fact that an entire family had moved was a topic of discussion to all.

"Of course," she said. She dug through a riskily stacked pile of papers on her disk till she located the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule and a map of the school here for you. You'' also need to get your teachers to sign this slip and hand it in here at the end of the day" the woman explained while giving me a bunch of papers. The woman pointed out my classes and highlighted on the map the easiest ways to get to them.

As I went back to my car I moved it so that I was with the rest of the student's cars. Most of the cars looked quite old and my Nissan Rogue was a new looking Volvo. Basically, it seems I'm already sticking out, for one being new and for two having a new car.

As I parked once again almost everyone's attention was on me. Quickly looking at my schedule I see that I have to go to building three where I have English with a Mr Mason. Getting into the class I see that he is a tall, balding man who decided it would be a grand idea to gawk at the new girl from further south.

Although I wasn't the only blonde in the room I was certainly the most tanned making me stick out like a sore thumb. I got Mr Mason to sign my slip and got a book list from him finding some familiar books that I'd read at my last two schools which was relieving. I probably even had some of my old essays stored somewhere that I may be able to reuse.

After the bell rang signalling the end of my first glass a greasy haired boy comes up to me.

"You're Claire Bennet, right?" he looked like the overly helpful chess club sort.

"Yeah" I answer, critically aware of a large amount of people with their attention on me.

"Where's your next class?" he asked.

I check my schedule. "Building six" I respond, unable to look anywhere without meeting the curious stares of my class mates.

"I could show you the way, I'm headed to building four" he offered. "I'm Eric" he added.

"Thanks but I should be able to find it," I tell him, heading off before someone else could confront me.

The rest of the morning passed in the same way, people staring at me as I went along to my classes. My trigonometry teacher even had me introduce myself. I don't think he was Impressed with me when I just explained how I'd just moved from California because my dad's company had transferred him.

After a few classes, some faces were becoming familiar, one girl who talked almost non-stop had sat next to me in Trig and Spanish and had all but dragged me along to sit with her at lunch. Turns out her name was Jessica and she had a large group of friends who seemed impressed that she'd managed to snatch up the new girl.

Everyone was introducing themselves to me and trying to get more details about why I'd moved and what it was like living somewhere where it was actually sunny more than twice a year. I was avoiding answering apart from telling them we'd moved because of my dad's job and how it was a big change going from leaving in the sun to now living in this constant rain.

People eventually got tired of asking my heaps of questions and I was able to just look around, search for exits in case I had to leave in a rush so that my freaky healing factor wasn't discovered or one of the various people who'd love to get their hands on me tried to capture me. It was then that I noticed a group of five people, 2 girls and 3 boys sitting at a table, detached from everyone else. There was almost an aura surrounding them that was repelling everyone from them. If only I had such luck.

One of the girls was short and pixie like while the other was a tall blonde. The three boys were also all different with one being bulky with dark curly hair, another was taller also with blond hair and the last was lanky, and less bulky than the other two and had untidy bronze hair. While they all were different they were also very similar. None of them were touching their food, they all had very pale skin and were all extremely beautiful.

As I observed them the pixie-like one stood up, discarding her untouched food and left the cafeteria, her movements quite graceful, almost as if she were dancing. The other thing that caught my attention was the fact that she did this faster than one should be able to with such fluid movements.

"Who are they?" I asked Jessica, wondering what she knew of the group of students.

She looked over to the table, without even asking who I was talking about. It seems she'd been expecting me to ask about them. While she did so the bronze haired one who seemed to be the youngest looked over as if someone had called his name. He looked at Jessica for a brief moment before his black eyes flickered to mine. Our eye contact lasted only seconds before he looked away. The way he'd looked over and looked away so quickly was as if he'd already decided not to respond to the person calling out to him. It was as if he'd looked over on instinct, without making any conscious decision.

Jessica giggled in embarrassment at the fact we'd been caught looking at the table.

"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath.

I glanced at the table from the corner of my eye this time to see the one who caught us looking picking his bagel apart, his mouth moving rapidly while the rest all looked away. Despite this, it felt as if they were having a conversation.

"They're all " I pointed out trying to prompt Jessica to tell me more.

"Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle. "They're all together though - Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together." Her voice held all the shock and condemnation of the small town, I thought critically. But, if I was being honest, I had to admit that was different, even in my strange life.

"So which ones are the Cullens? They don't look related" I say to keep Jessica talking.

"Oh, they're not. Dr Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales are twins, they're the blondes and they're foster children"

"That's great of Dr and Mrs Cullen, taking in so many kids"

"I guess so" Jessica reluctantly admits. It seems as though she is jealous of the family. "Jasper and Rosalie are 18 and have been with the Cullen's since they're parents died or something when they were 8. And the rest, well I don't think Mrs Cullen can have kids"

"Well it seems they've made a family anyway. Until my younger brother was born my parents didn't think they could have kids and so they adopted me when I was a baby" I say, not exactly truthful but I felt the need to stick up for the family.

The table quieted down and Jessica looks a bit uncomfortable knowing she'd offended me. The strangest part was how the 4 Cullen's and Hale's all seemed to look at me as I stood up for them. It was as if they knew but no normal person would have been able to hear from the other side of the room.

Jessica and the rest of the people avoided directing conversation at me for the rest of lunch which was relieving. One girl at the table did smile at me though, perhaps she didn't quite like how everyone treated the family either.

The girl it turns out was named Angela – Not going to forget that name quickly I thought – and she offered to walk with me to biology, a class we seemed to share.

"So the Cullens, have they always lived here or are they newcomers too?" I ask her.

"They moved here from Alaska a couple years ago," She told me.

"And they're still a topic of discussion?"

"Well, they tend to keep to themselves" She explains.

"Oh, ok" I respond, ending our conversation as we finish walking to class.

When we entered the room Angela went to her seat and I noticed that the only available seat was next to the Cullen with the bronze hair. I went and introduced myself to the teacher, had him sign my slip and he instructed me to go sit next to Edward Cullen.

So the Bronze haired one is Edward which means the bulky one should be Emmett, I logged mentally as I walked to the empty seat. As I walked closer I noticed that he wasn't as slight as he looked beside his brothers. As I assessed him, he, in turn, assessed me with curious eyes which I was growing used to people using on me today.

As I got to my seat his entire body went rigid and his stare turned from curious to hostile, to furious. This shocked me, his eyes showed a hunger that I'd only seen one person use before. A hunger I'd only seen as Sylar killed Jackie, as he'd stalked me down, as he scalped me and messed with my brain. This resemblance caused me to flinch, the memories being to clear in my head.

His eyes were pitch black and I couldn't avoid the hostility in his stare as I sat in my seat. I noticed his hands grab the edge of the table and all of his muscles seemed to lock. It didn't even seem as if he was breathing.

I tried to focus on the lesson instead of the glare he was giving me but unfortunately, the lesson was on cellular anatomy, something I was all too familiar with.

In my experience, unpleasant experiences seem to last forever and this first biology lesson next to Edward was no exception to this fact. Throughout the entire class, I kept glancing back at him and he never once relaxed from his position apart from when he stopped gripping the table and just clenched his fists after a soft cracking sound came from the desk. It also still seemed as if he wasn't breathing. I had no clue what was wrong with him. Is he a special like me? If so, hell even if not, what has caused his intense hatred of me? He doesn't even know me from Eve, how can he glare at me with eyes full of such revulsion?

I was relieved when the lesson finally ended and Edward made his exit faster and more graceful than humanly possible. Something told me this small town wasn't as peaceful as my father hoped.

As I packed up my stuff ready to go to the gym a blond haired boy that reminded me of a golden retriever came up to me.

"Aren't you Claire Bennet?" He asked me.

"Yeah"

"I'm Mike," he said.

"Nice to meet you," I told him as I began walking to my next class.

"Do you need help finding your next class?" He asks.

"Nah I should be fine, I'm heading to gym"

"That'd my class too, I'll walk with you," he tells me, seeming thrilled to have yet another class with me.

Mike was yet another chatterbox, this school seemed to have a heap of them. He told me how he'd also lived in California, but only until he was 10. When he asked me about my life in California I withheld a shudder of the memories of my recent trauma and told him how I'd only lived there for a few months and had originally lived in Texas.

As we entered the gym he asked, "So, did you stab Cullen with a pencil or something? I've never seen him act like that"

"I didn't even talk to him, I think he may have been feeling under the weather or something" I supplied.

"Yeah, maybe," he said. "He looked as if he was in pain or something."

I shrugged at him before walking over to the gym teacher, Coach Clapp who gave me a gym uniform but informed me I wouldn't have to play today. This gave me time to sit back and think about the mysterious Edward Cullen and attempt to figure out why he hated me so much while the rest of the class played volleyball.

When the final Bell rang signalling that the day was finally over I felt relieved knowing I only had to drop my slip into the office, find Lyle and go home. As I went from the warmth of the gym to the cold outside and then into the warm office I found Edward already in there, almost causing me to up and leave and just drop the slip back in the morning.

As I waited for the receptionist to be free I caught what he was arguing with her about. He was trying to move out of biology into anything else. I really had no clue of the cause of such a dislike of me and just wanted to get out of here so I just walked up with my slip, dropped it off and left only to hear him tell her not to bother as I exited the door and went to my car where Lyle was luckily already waiting for me.

As I drove home I decided I wouldn't tell dad about the strange Cullen family, fearing he'd go all out research on them or he'd up and move us all over again.


	2. Open Book

When I got home that night I decided that the next day I would confront Edward and ask what his problem was. The only issue with that decision was that Edward didn't come to school at all that day. A Positive was the fact people weren't staring at me as much as they were the day before and I was able to remember some peoples' names.

I spent most of the day figuring out just what I'd say to him only to see four people at his table. This confused me, all of his siblings were there sitting as they had the day before, not touching their food. Was he not here because of me?

I was relieved when Mike escorted us to his table because it took Jessica's attention from chatting my ears off to keeping Mike's attention. This I found was a win-win situation.

Going through the rest of the day I was sure to get out of biology before Mike could offer to walk me. He just seemed like someone who would get attached given any positive attention. This also caused me to avoid being on his team in volleyball and to hurry to get changed and get to my car when the bell sounded.

That night we had a family dinner made up of steak, vegetables and talk of how we were going at school so far. Lyle had found a few friends and he didn't have to worry so much about blending in, he only had to make sure not to spill his guts about the fact I once survived a small nuclear explosion.

"And what about you Claire, are you blending in alright?" dad asks.

"As much as I can, I guess. Like it doesn't seem like new people move here often. The last people to move here came about 2 years ago so a new person is a pretty big thing" I tell him.

"Just be careful Claire," he told me.

For the rest of the week, I waited so I could confront Edward but he still didn't come and if not for the fact that his siblings were still around I would have thought he'd disappeared off the face of the earth. Which I guess could potentially happen with some of the strange things that happen in my life.

By Friday I'd relaxed a bit and started paying more attention to some of the conversations at my lunch table. Turns out they were planning to go to some beach in La Push which could be interesting if the weather around here is nice for once.

My first weekend in Forks was quiet and the fact that I could not feel pain was inconvenient when helping cut vegetables and not paying attention. I'd cut myself several times while trying to figure out what was up with Edward that first biology class and each time mum saw she freaked out. This existence without pain was barely an existence. What is life without pain?

My second week began with people greeting me in the parking lot, the majority of which I'd forgotten the names of so I just smiled and waved back at them. This positivity continued when I aced the pop quiz on Wuthering Heights in English.

I was quite comfortable apart from the fact that despite the fact that I wasn't encouraging Mike's attention he still seemed to follow me like a lost puppy when he could. What was also little fun was the snow, as pretty as it was it did end up just melting in one's socks and a wet sock is not the most comfortable things in the world. The fact that people were throwing snowballs at Mike who was walking with me wasn't any fun when some hit me.

"Yeah, I'm just going to head into lunch," I tell him as he goes to start throwing snowballs as well.

On reflex, I check the Cullens table to see not 4 but 5 people once more. The elusive Edward Cullen had returned and I starting to rethink my plan of confronting him in biology for his behaviour last week. Jessica found and dragged me towards the lunch line while I was still thinking about my plans for the next period.

"What do you want Claire?" Jessica asks as we get to the front of the line, stopping my train of thought.

"I'll just get a drink," I tell them grabbing a soda.

"Are you ok?" Mike asks with concern.

"I'm fine," I tell him and Jessica successfully regains his attention.

As we get to our table I look at the Cullen table from the corner of my eye to see if he was acting as he had in biology last week. None of them were looking at me which was relieving and strangely they were all different from the usual withdrawn behaviour I'd witnessed over the past week.

Apart from their behaviour, there was something else that was different, they didn't look so tired nor as pale which may have been put to better rest and being flushed from the snow but there was also something else that I couldn't quite label.

"Claire, what are you looking at?" Jessica asks, probably know exactly what I was doing but also wanting to out me for it.

Oddly enough at that exact moment, Edwards eyes flashed over to meet mine. I looked away allowing my hair to block my face from his view and peer through it to see if he looked as angry as he did while he was glaring at me in class last week. Surprisingly he just looked curious.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you" Jessica points out.

"He may be wondering if he offended me last week by not introducing himself, I think he was sick, he didn't look very well," I tell her.

I look of surprise passes over his face as I give this explanation and it makes me wonder if he could hear me from all the way over there. It wasn't the first time a member of the family had displayed above average traits such as the speed and grace I'd witnessed both him and Alice display on my first day.

"Probably not, he doesn't really interact with anyone but his family. Doesn't date either, none of the girls here are good enough for him I guess" She sniffles.

While I ponder how many times he'd rejected her in the past I see a small grin appear on his face adding more evidence to the idea that he had some sort of super hearing. Jessica goes back to join another conversation and I continue to watch Edward as he watches me, nowhere near as hostile as he'd been the previous week.

I escaped the cafeteria with Angela before Mike could join me on the walk to biology. I was pleased to see that the snowfall from earlier had melted meaning the chance of people being able to hold a snow fight after school as a few people had been planning was next to nil.

When we got to the room my table the room was empty of everyone bar Mr Banner who was distributing microscopes and slides to each table so I decided to sit and wait to see if Edward would turn up.

I decided to open my copy of Activating Evolution to see if I could find any hints of what was going on with Edward and his family. There were examples at of the human potential to move faster and to hear from a greater distance which could be potentially helpful in discovering what was different about Edward.

"Hello," a musical voice said from beside me.

I close my book, looking over to see Edward beside me. His chair was as far away from me as the desk allowed but he'd angled the chair towards me. It appears it had started raining again between when I'd entered the classroom and he had due to the fact his hair was dripping wet. Despite this, his face was still quite dazzling appearing friendlier now that there was a slight smile on his face. I did notice however that his eyes were still careful.

"My name is Edward Cullen" he continued "I didn't have the chance to properly introduce myself last week. You must be Claire Bennet"

It was strange that he'd had such a large attitude change from the previous week. While I was processing his change in behaviour he read the title of my book, raising an eyebrow. I put my book away before he can question it.

"It's difficult to introduce yourself when you're glaring at someone" I accuse him.

He looked guilty at this. "I'm sorry, I…I wasn't feeling well. I shouldn't have taken it out on you like I did though"

"I'd guessed that much" I respond, not wanting to voice my suspicions yet. "I guess you know my name because of the large rumour mill this town has?"

"Something like that" he laughs. "So, Activating Evolution?" he asks, nodding to my bag.

"Yeah, I believe humans have the potential to be more than what they currently are. I think there are specific people who can do more than the average person" I tell him causing him to give me a curious look.

Before he can question me further Mr Banner starts the class explaining how we'd be labelling the stage of mitosis that each slide of onion root was currently at. We weren't supposed to use our books and in twenty minutes he'd check our answers.

"Ladies first, partner?" Edward asked. I look up to see his crooked smile catching my attention, causing me to stare. "Or I could start, if you wish," he tells me, his smile fading.

"No, I'll do it," I tell him, flustered at the fact that that I'd been staring at him.

I try to save my dignity by showing off a little. Biology was my element and I'd already done this a couple times in the past. I'd even looked to see how my own cells in all their regenerating glory appeared under the lens. I snapped the first slide under the microscope, adjusted the magnification and assessed the slide under it.

"Prophase," I tell him confidently.

"Do you mind if I look?" he asks me as I went to change the slide. His hand caught mine, to stop me as he asked. His fingers were ice cold, which I noted to think back on later. It also stung a slight amount as if an electric current had passed through us.

"I'm sorry" mutters, moving his hand from mine and grabbing the microscope and checking for himself.

"It's alright, was probably just a little static," I tell him, a small smile on my face as I rubbed the spot where he'd touched. He paused for a moment when I talked about static and gave me a shocked look. Did he not feel it, or did he not think I'd felt it?

"You were right, Prophase," he tells me, writing it down on our worksheet. He switched to the next slide and checks it as well. "Anaphase," he tells me writing it down.

"May I?" I mimic him, he smirks and slides the microscope back to me.

I take a look and see that it was in fact anaphase. "Next slide?" I held my hand out not letting him see my disappointment.

He handed it to me, seemingly avoiding touching me again.

"Interphase," I tell him, passing the microscope over before he could even ask. He took a quick look before writing it down on the sheet.

We completed the last two slides in no time, the entire task having only taken us about 6 minutes. Most of the other groups had yet to identify their second slide and a few had even taken to checking their books beneath their table.

This left me with nothing to do but look at him. He was already staring at me and I finally noticed the difference in his face.

"Did you get contacts?" I ask him.

He seems puzzled by my question. "no"

"Oh" I mutter "I could have sworn they were black last week"

He tenses slightly before shrugging and looking away.

I was certain that his eyes had been black last week when he was glaring at me, it wasn't something you easily forgot. This colour they were now was a lot nicer though. It was like a dark butterscotch. Not an eye colour I'd ever seen before.

I looked down and saw that like last week his hands were clenched into fists.

Mr Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. When he saw the completed sheet, he checked the sheet and then looked to Edward.

"So, Edward, didn't you think Claire should get a chance with the microscope?" he asked him.

"Claire actually identified three of the five slide" Edward informed him.

Mr Banner looked at me sceptically. "Have you done this lab before?"

"Yeah, both in California and when I lived in Texas," I tell him.

"Were you in an advanced program?" He asks me.

"Yes"

"Well I guess it's a good thing you two are lab partners," he says before mumbling something and walking away.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked. I had the feeling he was forcing himself to make small talk with me. If he had heard Jessica earlier he might've been trying to prove her wrong.

"Asking about the weather?" I question him.

"I guess I am" he laughs.

"Not really, I'm used to the cold just yet and the snow just seems to melt into your socks," I tell him.

"I guess that must be hard, Texas and California are a lot different different to this place" He mused.

"You have no idea" I muttered darkly.

He looked fascinated by what I'd said as if he was trying to decipher what I'd meant.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"Don't worry, it's nothing" I lie and something in his expression leads me to believe that he knew I was lying.

"If you say so," he says, dropping it. "So why'd your family move here?"

"From the sounds of it, the same reason yours did, my dad got a job here," I tell him.

"So your entire family just upped and moved?"

"Something like that"

"That must be difficult," he says sympathetically.

"Yeah but we're ok with it, it had to be done," I tell him, it wasn't exactly a lie, I couldn't stay in the house where my brain got prodded at.

"I'm sorry, am I annoying you?" He asked.

"No, no, I'm just not sure why you even care" I huff.

"Most people are easy to read, you, on the other hand, are quite difficult," he tells me, which is a curious way of putting it.

"You must be a good reader then" I reply, wondering if he can read minds.

"Usually," he says, smiling widely and flashing a set of perfect ultra-white teeth.

Mr Banner called the class to order, going through the answers for the prac. While he is doing this, I notice Edward yet again leaning away from me and gripping the edge of the table. I tried to pay attention but all I could think of were the potential 'powers' Edward had. There was the speed, grace, hearing and mind reading which he may potentially have.

While I ponder the bell rings and Edward yet again leaps from his seat and rushes to exit the class.

Mike quickly walks up to me and picks up my books before I could escape him.

"That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner."

"I didn't have any trouble with it," I said, stung by his assumption.

"Oh," he says. "Well Cullen seemed friendly enough today"

"Yeah, he told me he wasn't feeling well last week"

When we get to the gym my bad luck continues when I'm put on Mike's team who keeps trying to offer me tips and help whenever it was my turn to serve.

It was a relief when the school day was finally over and I only had to wait for Lyle to get to my car. While waiting I see Edward staring at me from a few cars down, probably waiting for his family. I wave to him and I see him nod in response as I get into the car to wait for Lyle out of the elements.


	3. Phenomenon

When I woke up the next day, something was quite different.

It was light. It was still grey and cloudy but there was no fog to be seen. There was, however, a layer of snow covering the ground. I'd have to be extra careful driving today. I may be able to walk away from a car crash, but Lyle can't.

It turns out my car is suitable to be driven in icy conditions, which is positive in a place so susceptible to unsavoury weather.

For the first time in a while, I was eager to go to school. It wasn't because of the classes or the few friends I'd made. It was stupid that I wanted to solve the enigma that was Edward Cullen, because each step closer I got to figuring him out, the closer he'd get to figuring me out, and that could not happen. I'd have to be careful when talking to him, so not to let anything slip.

When we got to the school, Lyle went his own way to the middle school while I went to grab my bag from the back seat. While doing so I noticed there were chains on my tires. Although I knew it wouldn't matter whether they were on or not for me and they were probably there more so for Lyle, it made me smile knowing dad had taken the time to make sure they were on.

It was then that I heard a strange sound. It was a high-pitched screech and I looked up trying to find it. I saw Edward several cars, staring at me in horror. I also saw many people frozen in shock, looking towards the van hurtling across the parking lot right at me. I groan knowing that I wouldn't be able to move out of the way in time and after clearing up after my ability to walk away from life-endangering injuries dad would have us move yet again.

It was as I closed my eyes waiting for the van to hit me that I was knocked off my feet from my side rather than being sandwiched between the two vehicles. My wrist snapped and there was a crack in my skull as they collided with the cold ground.

I look up to see Edward pinning me to the ground while preventing the van from colliding with me. There was a dent in the side of the van where his hand was resting, adding yet another superhuman ability to my growing list.

It was when he set the van down that I started hearing the panicked voices of students outside our private bubble between the two cars. More clearly than the yelling, I heard Edward Cullen's voice sp[eaking frantically in my ear.

"Claire? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I tell him, rubbing my wrist to see if had fully healed yet.

"Are you sure, I thought I heard a few cracks?" He says, eyes flickering to where I was rubbing my wrist.

"The van must have run over a few sticks or something" I lie, attempting to get up.

"Be careful," he tells me, preventing me from moving much, "I'm pretty sure you hit your head, you should get it checked"

"I promise you, there's nothing wrong with me," I tell him truthfully.

"I'd still feel better if you got your head checked for a concussion or whatever, remember my dad is a doctor," He tells me.

"I promise he won't find a single bruise," I tell him. "So, how'd you get over so quickly, you were over by your car?"

"No, I wasn't, I was right next to you," he says, eyes pleading me to not ask anything further.

"If you say so, I won't tell anyone, you can trust me on that," I tell him.

He looks confused at that. I sat up, this time Edward allowed me, hands guiding me so that I couldn't fall back if I was injured.

It was then that a few teachers managed to get around the vehicles and see the pair of us.

"Don't move," They tell us before organising how to get everyone out safely.

"Get Tyler out!" I hear someone shout.

"Claire!" I hear Lyle shout, he must have seen the incident and come back to check on me.

"I'm fine Lyle, I just got pushed out of the way thanks to someone pushing me out of the way. Call dad and tell him I'm fine, not a scratch, I'll just have to get checked for a concussion" I call out to him.

Edward looked shocked at just how easily I lied about his involvement.

"You might want to sort that out before someone sees" I murmur to him, pointing at the handprint on the side of the van.

Edward got into action at that, doing his own damage control of his own, removing the evidence of his superior strength.

"So, you now can't deny the fact that you're stronger than the average person, also faster," I tell him, a look of horror crossing his face.

"Just leave it," He tells me.

"Honestly, it's not the strangest thing I've ever seen," I tell him.

He looks confused by this as the teachers finally manage to get us out, allowing the paramedics to get to us.

We both manage to convince them that we don't need stretchers. I even manage to do so when Edward tells them he thought I'd hit my head. Despite not strapping us into the stretchers, the paramedics make sure we get into the ambulance with them so we can get checked out.

When we got to the hospital, Edward convinced the paramedics and triage nurses that he'd take me to see his father and get us both checked out.

Edward dragged me down a few halls and let us both into an office where a young, blond man was sitting at a desk. He was quite handsome and it was easy to deduce this was Dr Cullen with the similar complexion he shared with his family.

"Carlisle, this is Claire, Claire, this is Carlisle, my father," Edward says, introducing us.

"Nice to meet you, Dr Cullen," I tell him.

"Yes, it is," He tells me, giving me an odd look. "So, what can I do for you two?"

"Claire here almost got hit by a van. I was hoping you'd be able to check she'd fine" Edward tells Dr Cullen.

"Yeah, it was lucky you managed to push me out of the way in time, wasn't it?" I say, watching the two carefully, seeing both stiffen.

Dr Cullen looks at Edward with a strange look in his eyes and Edward nods in response.

"I think I can manage that," he says, asking us both to take a seat.

"I promise you, you won't find a single issue," I tell them both confidently.

"I'm just going to look for tender spots," He tells me, prodding gently at my skull. "any tenderness?"

"Not at all," I tell him honestly.

"Are you feeling dizzy, any problems with your vision?" He asks, moving onto checking my eyes with a light.

"No, I guess I'm just lucky like that," I tell him.

As he finishes with me he moves on to check Edward, his motions and questions more for appearance rather than worry for his son making me wonder just what else I was missing about the enigma that is Edward Cullen.

"Well if that's all, I should probably go see if my dad is here yet. My brother must have told him that I was here by now and would need a lift. I should probably see if my cars still alright while I'm at it" I tell them.

I see Edward say something quietly to Dr Cullen before telling him he'd walk me out.

"I'll see you later Edward and it was nice meeting you Claire," Dr Cullen tells me.

"If only it wasn't just to get a check-up" I agree with him as Edward and I leave.

"So, what did you mean when you said you'd seen stranger?" Edward asks as he leads me towards the waiting room.

"Don't worry about it," I tell him.

He looks like he wanted to argue but stopped himself as someone called out to me.

"Claire, are you alright?" my father says, pulling me into a hug.

"I'm fine dad, Edward here managed to push me out of the way before the van could hit me," I tell him. "Dad, this is Edward, Edward, this here is my father Noah"

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr Bennet," Edward says, shaking my father's hand.

"Thank you for saving my daughter," My dad says, looking at Edward dead in the eyes, probably trying to determine whether he was a threat or not.

"It was no problem, I'll see you at school Claire," Edward says, walking back towards his father's office.

"Did anything else happen?" My dad asks as we walk towards the exit.

"Nothing big, just a wrist and my skull, I think," I tell him quietly as we leave the building.

Outside in the parking lot, there was a bunch of people, probably using it as an excuse of ditching school. I also noticed that Edwards siblings were there with the Volvo, all of them watching me, most of them with harsh eyes as if calculating a threat. Only Alice seemed to be positive, even going so far as to wave at me.

"So, how bad is my car?" I ask my dad as we got into his car.

"Just a few dents, it will get fixed up this week, so you'll have to get your mum to drive you until then"

Mum was in hysterics when we got home, even though she knew I would be fine.

"Mum, I'm fine," I tell her as she pulls me into a hug.

"Yes, but a mother still worries," she tells me.

That night I spend a lot of time pondering whether I should tell Edward the truth. He did, in his eyes save my life and he had secrets of his own. What with the speed, strength, hearing and potential mind reading he couldn't exactly out my healing.

I thought about it for quite some time and by the time I made the decision to just wait and see for now mum, dad and Lyle had all gone to bed. As I got ready to go to bed myself I thought I heard something outside. I went and opened my window to see if I could find what was causing the noise only to see a white blur in front of me before I drifted into nothingness.


	4. The Truth

**AN: So this chapter, unlike the last three does not follow the Twilight story line but it was the way I decided that Claire and the Cullens would learn about one and other. It's mostly conversation because I suck at description, I've just been wanting a proper Edward/Claire fic, even if it isn't perfect. The next chapter will probably follow a bit more of the Twilight timeline but obviously not completely.**

* * *

As the blackness faded I heard snarling growling and arguing around me.

"You didn't have to do that" I heard a familiar voice said.

"Well, you weren't going to," another voice says.

"We could have just waited and watched, she hadn't said anything to anyone, even her family" The first voice growls.

"Yeah and what if she suddenly did decide to tell someone?" The second voice said.

"Well, you didn't have to kill her," The first said and something told me they were talking about me.

"Goddamn it" I groan, causing the entire room to go silent.

I open my eyes and stretch my body, checking to see if whatever had killed me was fully healed. After hearing a few pops of bones realigning themselves. I looked around to see myself on a cream coloured couch in a very open room with the Cullen and Hale kids, Dr Cullen and what I assume to be Mrs Cullen all staring at me stunned.

Edward and Rosalie were facing off with Emmett by Rosalie's side, Dr Cullen on Edwards with Mrs Cullen at his side and Alice and Jasper standing just off to the side.

"Well, I guess I've been in worse situations" I mutter, the eyes watching me becoming curious. "You know it's rude to stare, right? Though I guess murders pretty bad too"

"If you'll excuse our rudeness," Dr Cullen said, a million questions going through his head. "But how are you alive?"

"Rapid cell regeneration," I tell them "Why'd someone decide to kill me?"

"Rose here thought you were too dangerous to keep alive" Edward informed me, glaring at the girl in question who looked quite guilty at the way things had turned out.

I guess it wasn't every day that someone was killed and then revived.

Each member reacted somewhat differently to my resurrection. Edward, Esme and Carlisle all seemed to be relieved. Alice appeared very happy with the way things had turned out, visibly grinning. Emmett appeared confused at the fact I'd just risen from the dead. Rosalie appeared guilty and Jasper appeared to be erring on the side of caution.

"My dad's not going to be happy with me" I groan, my head in my hands.

"So, your dad knows?" Dr Cullen asks.

"Of course, something I can easily hide," I say.

"What are we going to do now?" Emmett asks from his spot next to Rosalie.

"Now we are going to explain why Rosalie found the need to kill me and how it relates to the beyond human abilities I have witnessed," I tell them.

They all look at each other, resigned to the fact that they'd now have to spill their secrets. Seeing as they'd killed me and then basically kidnapped me at this point.

"So, what have you noticed so far?" Dr Cullen asks me.

"There's the speed, grace, strength, hearing, the fact that none of you eats at lunch, your complexion, the cold skin, and the fact that I think Edward can read minds." As I list the traits I'd witnessed they looked stunned as too much I'd truly observed.

"What makes you think I can read minds?" Edward asks curiously.

"The fact that you called me hard to read when we were talking in biology and the silent conversation you and Dr Cullen had in his office. So, am I right?" I respond.

"Yes, you are. I think at this point you can just call me Carlisle. You know Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett and Edward from school." He says, indicating each person as he went along, "And this here is my wife Esme"

"I'd say it was a pleasure to meet you but in all honesty, these aren't the best circumstances Mrs Cullen," I tell her.

"That's alright dear and just Esme will do" She responds.

"So, something tells me you guys aren't just like me with different abilities. For starters, I've only met two people with more than one ability, my uncle who copies the abilities of those he interacts with and a psychopath who gains powers by scalping people and prodding at their brains. Not a pleasant experience." As I tell them this I shudder, causing them to stare at me in horror.

"Please tell me you don't know that from a first-hand experience." Edward pleads.

"I think I'm the only one to survive his methods of acquiring gifts. But enough of this, for now, you aren't like me, are you?" I ask them.

"No, we are not," Carlisle tells me, everyone watching me cautiously. "My family and I are vampires"

I stare at them in disbelief and ponder at that. If it was possible for people like me, people who could fly, could travel through time and space, control fire, heal even from death, what is to say there couldn't be people out there who'd due to some occurrence evolved even more than I had.

"How? My healing can be explained by evolution but what explains your…condition?"

"I'm not quite sure, I'm the oldest in the family. I was changed about 350 years ago but have met others of my kind who are far older" Carlisle informs me.

"So, what's actually true, because I highly doubt the myths are all true?" I ask shocking them all at my acceptance.

"Well for starters we don't spontaneously combust in the sun, holy water, crosses and garlic don't repel us" Carlisle starts.

"Although food, in general, smells really bad" Alice chimes in scrunching her nose.

"So that definitely explains your avoidance of eating at lunch, better than the theory of some eating disorder you all seemed to have," I say.

A tense round of laughs goes around the room.

"What else?" I prod.

"Well, as you've seen we can move quickly, we have super strength and enhanced hearing, our eyesight and sense of smell and taste are also heightened," Carlisle says.

"So basically, the myths got it all really wrong" I conclude. "Anything I should be wary of?"

"Our family are different from traditional vampires. Instead of hunting humans we hunt animals but despite this human blood can still be tempting" Carlisle tells me.

"My first biology class," I say, looking pointedly at Edward who looks extremely uncomfortable.

"Your…your blood is…particularly...appealing to me" Edward struggles to admit.

"So that explains your reaction," I say thoughtfully.

"How are you so calm," Jasper asks, speaking for the first time.

"As I said, I've been in worse situations"

"What's worse than someone admitting they wanted to drink your blood?" Emmett asks.

"Emmett!" Edward growls and Esme scolds.

"Waking up on an autopsy table sucks, it isn't very fun closing the skin on your front and sneaking out of the room. Thank god the medical examiner had gotten a phone call, that would have been a tuff situation to get out of" I tell them.

"What happened?" Carlisle asked for the family.

"A couple years ago when I was living in Odessa, I was with some guy after a game, he…tried to force himself on me, I struggled and managed to fall on a branch…it got lodged in my brain so I couldn't heal until it was taken out during my autopsy" I tell them. They looked quite enraged, Especially Rosalie, Edward and Esme.

"Odessa? Wasn't there a murder that happed there?" Jasper asks.

"Yeah, I knew her. Jackie took the credit for something I'd done, I'd walked into a burning train wreck and saved a man. Sylar, the psychopath that goes after people with abilities thought she had my power so he killed her, I tried to save her but he flung me away and realised he'd gotten the wrong person and started coming after me"

"You poor thing," Esme says.

"So Sylar is the one who…scalped you and poked around at your brain?" Edward asks cautiously.

"A few months ago, I was home alone, I was about to leave home and go to New York, my father, my biological father had been shot and I didn't care if my uncle told me not to come, I needed to be there, to help him. As I was about to leave I found him at my door. I hit him with a trophy but I didn't get out of the house fast enough, he was able to hold all the exits closed with some telekinetic power he has acquired. I tried hiding and waiting it out but I realised it wasn't going to work so I tried to jump him, distract him by stabbing him and make my escape but that didn't work. He caught me with his abilities and used an ability to slice my skull open. While prodding at my brain, trying to figure out how my ability worked all I could do was lay there. Did you know there are no nerve endings in your brain so you can't really feel it all that much? Once he'd figured it out he replaced my skull and went to leave. When I asked why he hadn't killed me like the others he told me he couldn't kill me, that I couldn't die and neither can he now" at this point I look around at everyone and see looks of revulsion, horror and pity in their eyes.

"And now, since then I can't even feel pain. I used to feel it, even for a brief moment when my ribs were sticking out because I'd jumped off and 80-foot high platform, but now, now I don't feel even if I jump in front of a train. I don't notice when I cut figures off while I distractedly cut vegetables. There's just nothing."

A feeling of relief washes over me as they all digest what I'd told them. I felt just a little lighter being able to tell people just what had happened and how it had affected me. It felt nice not having to hide everything from people.

I see Edward look at Jasper and then back at me. He then walks to me and takes my hand, causing a rush of electricity up my arm, and looks me straight in the eyes.

"What happened to you never should have happened, it was horrible and I will do everything in my power to make sure nobody hurts you ever again" Edward vows to me, a look of determination in his eyes.

It is at this point I remember I'm not actually at home and I'm in my pyjamas. I'd just talked about some of the most traumatic experience of my life and found out that vampires existed all while in my pyjamas.

This thought causes me to groan.

"What's wrong?" Edward asks hurriedly.

"I just realised I'm in my pyjamas," I say, hiding my face in my hands as a soft round of chuckles go around the room.

"What time is it anyway?" I ask.

"Just after 2" Alice answers.

"Honestly I really need to get home and sleep. We also don't want my dad finding out that I'm not home, he'd more than likely worry." As I mention the factor of sleep most of them look sheepish, probably because the factor hadn't even crossed their mind.

"Right, I'll take you home if you want," Edward tells me.

I nod and start saying my goodbyes.

"Claire…I'm sorry for what I did…" Rosalie admits to me as I bid her farewell.

"It's…well, it's not ok but I can see why you did it, to protect your family. I guess the positive of this is we won't be tiptoeing around an unknown" I respond.

When I finish my goodbyes, Edward walks me through the open house outside but not before I see a few items scattered around such as a grand piano and a large board lined with graduation caps. The outside of the house is just as grand from what I can see with a forest of trees surrounding it.

"Ok, I can either drive you home, or I can show you just how fast I run," Edward tells me eagerly.

"I'll see how fast you run, let's see if it beats flying," I tell him, causing a flicker of curiosity to pass through his eyes.

"Ok, hold on tight," he tells me, pulling me onto his back wrapping my legs around his waist.

Listening intently, I wrap my arms around his neck and revel in the wind running across my face and through my hair as he runs.

It isn't long before we get to my house, Edward effortlessly scaling the side of the window and climbing through the window before allowing me to get off his back and stretch my arms and legs.

"So how was it, as good as flying?" He asks.

"Less of a view but definitely more exhilarating," I tell him grinning.

"That's good to know," he tells me, smiling. "So, I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll be there. I'll probably be a bit tired though" I inform him.

"Sorry about that," He tells me, looking guilty.

"It will probably make this all easier in the long run," I tell him.

"Maybe" he murmurs, stepping closer to me once more "And Claire?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for what has happened to you," He tells me, his hand brushing across my cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow"

"See ya" I murmur as he vanishes from my room.

Once I check out the window to confirm he is gone, I close my window and get into bed where I clear my head knowing I'll have time to think over my hectic morning activities at some point tomorrow.

Despite having relived some of my worst nightmares it didn't take me long to drift asleep.


	5. A New Day

My dreams were scattered, with memories of Sylar stalking me down in my house most prominent. No matter how hard I tried he always got to me and prevented me from escaping in time to stop him from opening my skull.

That morning mum drove us to school seeing as my car was out of action for the rest of the week.

When we got there, I found that the Cullen's were already there, waiting by their car. When I stepped out of the car, Edward came over to me.

"Hey Edward, mum this is Edward, he pushed me out of the way of the van yesterday, Edward this is my mum Sandra" I introduce them while my door is still open. "Oh and that there was Lyle" I add as Lyle closes his own door and walks over to the middle school

"Thank you for saving my daughter" mum tells him.

"It was no problem" he responds.

"Ok, I'll see you after school mum," I tell her.

"Yeah, I'll meet you and your brother here." She tells me as I close my door.

As my mum drives off Edward guides me back to his car where his family is waiting. The entire walk the eyes of everyone in the parking lot were on us.

I guess what can you expect, the elusive Edward Cullen had finally shown interest in someone. Hell, a Cullen was interacting with someone outside of their family out of class.

"I'm going to be asked lots of questions today, aren't I?" I ask Edward.

"Jessica is already planning to jump you during class," he tells me.

I look over to her, only to see her gossiping with a few of her friends, occasionally looking back at Edward and me.

"So much for blending in" I groan.

"Yeah, it looks like we've all ruined that" Emmett laughs as we finally reach them.

"Sorry to tell you, but you guys don't blend very well" I inform them. "The whole aura of difference really doesn't help when it keeps like a bubble around you that people skirt around"

They all look thoughtful at this.

"So, what sort of questions should I expect?" I ask.

"She wants to know why I was next to you yesterday and why I came up to you today" Edward told me.

"So, basically say something about wanting to talk about biology and then say while we were at the hospital getting checked out and you just wanted to see how I was doing" I summarise.

"Nice cover" Jasper praises.

"Yeah, at this point I should be good at making covers. My dad works for a company that catches people like me, examines their abilities, has their memories of the experience wiped before letting them go. My biological father is a politician whose mother was set on letting my uncle destroy New York because of one of the abilities he'd acquired just so my father could rise to power and raise America from the ashes. Being able to make a cover is kinda necessary" I inform them. "Thank god my father managed to get my uncle away before he went nuclear in the city, it meant I didn't need to kill my uncle as he'd asked me."

"Yeah, we just have years of experience," Emmett tells me.

"How do they wipe memories?" Alice asks curiously.

"There's someone with the ability to block powers and erase memories, I'm not sure if there are many people that can wipe memories but I do know there are often multiple people with the same or similar abilities. For starters, I know two people who can fly" I tell them.

"Two?" Rosalie asks curiously.

"Yeah, my biological father and a boy from my last school." I tell them "Actually he was my last biology partner" I add, laughing.

"Seems you suck at normal" Emmett points out.

"Yeah, seems so" I reply as the warning bell rings, causing us all to part ways.

Edward walked me to English, causing the pair of us to get even more stares. This isn't helped by the fact that he brushes a piece of hair out of my face as he is saying goodbye.

That was twice now his hand had brushed my face. He didn't seem as cautious of hurting me as he had when he'd been leaning away from me in biology.

English passed by quicker than I hoped, people looking at my every so often. Probably wondering how the new kid had become someone the Cullen kids accepted in such a short amount of time. They probably wouldn't want to follow the path I did, that's for sure.

Mr Vector was late for trig, meaning despite the fact I didn't rush to class Jessica still had a lot of time to ambush me and fish for answers about my relationship with the reclusive Edward Cullen.

"So, did Edward really push you out of the way yesterday?" Jessica asks from where she is waiting for me outside the room.

"Yeah," I tell her, her asking her next question before I could add anything.

"Why was he over by you?" She interrupts.

"He wanted to talk about the biology work from Monday," I tell her, not even bothering to add any more than that.

"Why were you with him and his family this morning?"

"He wanted to see if I was alright and to introduce me to his family. We talked a bit yesterday while we were waiting to get checked up on at the hospital and then while I waited for my dad" I tell her.

Thankfully before she can ask any more questions Mr Vector arrives and then for the entire duration of Spanish she was unable to ask me any more questions due to a test that I was extremely grateful for.

When the class was let out I was met by Edward, waiting outside of the classroom to save me from Jessica.

"Hello Claire, I was wondering if you wanted to sit with my family and I at lunch?" Edward asked.

"Sure, you don't mind, do you Jess?" I say.

"Not at all," She says weakly as I walk off with Edward.

We talked a little about Jess's questions as we walked to the cafeteria and got trays of food, the lunch room going quiet as I walked along with Edward to his family table.

"Anyone have any idea how long that will last?" I ask as I sat down next to Edward, who didn't move any further away.

"Unless something more interesting happens soon, maybe a few weeks" Alice informs.

"And have you seen anything interesting happening?" Edward asks her.

"Seen?" I ask.

"I see the future but it can change depending on people's decisions" Alice informs me.

"So, you're a precog. Anyone else have talents?" I ask curiously.

"I can feel and manipulate people's emotions. What do you mean by Alice being a precog?" Jasper says.

"Well some gifts are classified together and seeing the future is precognition and hence people who can do so are labelled precogs. My grandmother has premonitions in her dreams, but she doesn't always know what they mean. My uncle knew someone else who could paint the future, he ended up acquiring the ability and the guy ended up being one of Sylar's victims" I tell them, everyone stiffening as I mention Sylar, especially Edward and Rosalie.

It seemed my mention of Sylar had brought the mood down. I guess it's quite difficult to know how to approach such a gloomy topic.

"So, have you seen anything Alice?" I ask, moving everyone's thoughts from Sylar for the time being.

"Not that will stop the gossip, but I do see a blonde woman coming to stay at your house" Alice informs me.

"Any idea who it is?" I ask her.

"No, but it seems you know her," Alice tells me, everyone looking curious.

"I guess I'll just have to wait and see," I tell them.

The rest of lunch goes smoothly with me eating while Alice plans to drag me out shopping sometime soon with Rosalie.

When lunch ended Edward and I Walked to class and I decided to question how he wasn't acting as he had Monday, or last week.

"Is it easier being with me now?" I ask him.

"Yes and no" He responds cryptically.

"What do you mean?"

"Yes, because know the horrors you have been through, I'm more certain on not being another. No, because there is a part of me that is tempted by the fact you heal. If I gave in to the bloodlust, you would more than likely heal from what we know but it'd make me even more of a monster" Edward tells me as we sit at our desk waiting for others to arrive.

"The fact that you think like that proves you are not a monster," I tell him.

"You don't understand. I have killed people, even though I knew I didn't have to live like that. A few years after Carlisle changed me I went away on my own. I was angry that he'd kept me from my natural food source as a vampire. The only reason it took so long for me to go on my own was because I knew how he didn't mean any harm by it, he himself just couldn't take a human life. I thought that if I went after murderers and rapists it would be ok. Eventually I realised I was just as bad as them" Edward admits.

"You went after bad people saving how many people?" I start.

Lowering my voice as people come in I continue.

"The day after that boy in Odessa that tried to rape me I went to school and saw him. I managed to convince him that him killing me and dumping my body in a ravine was all a dream. I would have just left it like that but I saw him flirting with some other girl as he had with me and I realised I probably wasn't the first and it appeared I wouldn't be the last."

I take a breath and push back the memories of what I'd done.

"So that afternoon I stayed back late and managed to convince him to give me a ride home. On the way, I managed to convince him to let me drive his car. It was then that I told him it hadn't been a dream. I drove as fast as I could into a brick wall. I wanted to kill him so he couldn't hurt anyone else. He didn't die and in the end I ended up telling my dad what had happened and he got the Hattian to wipe the boys memory of what he'd done and what I'd done. I did ruin his chance of playing football in the big league but that's about it"

When I finish I look up to him to see a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Seeing me watching him, he grabs my hand and squeezes it. It was a comforting gesture that I returned as Mr Banner walked it and started the lesson.


	6. Heart to heart

The rest of the day went quickly with Edward walking me to gym and later from the gym to my mums waiting car.

When Dad got home he told me about several dangerous people who had escaped the company. It was then that I found out who the blonde-haired woman was, my mother.

My father had asked her to stay with us while he was out hunting down the escapees so that there was someone to protect us. So, nothing like what happened with Sylar could happen again.

Why he couldn't just let me help him, I don't know.

While I was lying in bed that evening, reading a book for English I heard a knock at my window.

"Do you often sit outside teenage girl's rooms?" I ask him as I allow him to come in.

"This is a first for me" He tells me. "I just wanted to check that you were alright, Alice saw that the woman had come today"

"Yeah, she did. It's my mother" I tell him.

"Your birth mother? Why?" He asks me.

"Because my dad is going to be away a lot. There was a breakout at the facility they keep people like me who are extremely dangerous. My mums here to keep us safe if someone were to come after me." I tell him.

"What can your mother do to protect you?" Edward asks.

"Her ability is pyrokinesis" I tell him, causing a funny look to pass through his eyes. "What?"

"The way to destroy my kind is to pull them apart and burn them" he informs me.

"So, I guess you should stay on her good side," I tell him.

"Seems like a smart idea" he responds.

"So, that was the only reason for coming and sitting in my tree, to see if I was alright with the woman Alice saw?" I ask him.

"I also wanted to see how you were doing, with all that you've told me about what's happened to you" Edward tells me.

"I just want to stop being the victim. I've jumped and fallen from great heights, I've walked through fire, I've been shot, I've survived extreme levels of radiation and a small nuclear explosion but I can't fight, I can't defend myself so I just keep getting hurt.

"My dad won't even let me help him with these people. I could be useful if he'd just teach me to fight. Of these escapees, there are criminals with the ability to grow stronger off their opponents fear, can harness the power of magnetism, the power of sound and control fire. There are probably even more people that got out and they could be anywhere at this point."

"Your dad just wants to let you grow up before having to deal with everything like that. You shouldn't have to deal with anything like that" Edward tells me.

"But I can't just ignore it. There are people out there that will kill, have killed and they are angry. They've been kept locked up for maybe years and they will want revenge on those who locked them up. Hell, my dad was probably that helped catch and lock them up."

"But he's been doing this for years, right? He knows what he's doing"

"Yeah, well if it wasn't for my blood he would be dead right now. They told us he was dead. They gave us fake ashes. The only reason they let him come back was because I threatened to out my ability"

"Who is they?"

"The company"

"Aren't they who your dad works for?"

"They had a disagreement. I was given to my dad by the company. It was expected if I was to manifest abilities I would be taken in but my dad hid them and didn't take me in. I think a large reason is because he saw what could happen. One of the people that were big in the company until he was killed before Sylar just before he went after me, he had his daughter put in and she's got a few loose screws. Probably from all the times she electrocuted herself when they threw water on her."

Edward looks horrified when I tell him about Elle and how they could have someone electrocute themselves that often, let alone allow their own child to go through it.

"So anyway, I was actually kidnapped by Elle's dad, she can shoot electricity from her hands. In turn, my dad kidnapped Elle. Elle's dad ended up taking some of my blood before trading us back. My dad ended up getting shot in the eye by Mohinder, he is the son of the author of 'Activating Evolution'. My dad had brought West, the boy I know who can fly and had told him to get me away when he could. So, the company got my dad's body, told us they'd cremated him all the while tested the effect of my blood on him. He may know what he's doing, but he's not invincible."

"The last few years of your life seem to have been more eventful than my entire life" Edward sighs.

"And just how old are you Mr Cullen?" I ask him curiously.

"I was born in 1901, Carlisle changed me in 1918, I was dying of the Spanish Influenza," Edward informs me.

"So my life has been more eventful than that of someone who has lived over 100 years?"

"It seems so"

"Did Carlisle change all of you?"

"No, not Alice or Jasper, they found us. Well Alice found Jasper and told him they'd have a home with us. She actually stole my room at the time because it had the biggest closet" Edward says, chuckling at the memory.

"So, have you just spent the last 90 years going to high school?"

"Not always high school. Sometimes I go to college" He tells me, smiling.

"That must be exhausting. Just so repetitive. How can you just go to school when you know that you don't exactly fit in? I sometimes feel so isolated, with no one being able to truly know me. I guess it's a bit easier for you, having your family"

"Going to school is just what we have to do in order to stay somewhere without raising suspicions. High school can be difficult when you can hear everyone's thoughts. It's much the same at home with my family. They all have one and other, and there are many things I hear and see that I could live without"

"Well, I'm thankful you can't read my mind. I do wonder why though" I admit.

"It is nice to be able to be with someone without having their thoughts intrude my own. It is frustrating though, I'm not used to relying just on what people say"

"Ah well, means you have to work on your people skills" I tell him, smiling.

Edward smiles before looking at towards the door.

"Someone's coming," He tells me, walking back to the window.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I tell him, just before a knock sounds at my door.

"Claire?" my dad calls.

I open the door and allow him in to come in.

"I just wanted to see how you felt about your mother being here to help looking out for you while I'm trying to put those people back where they belong" He says to me.

"It's nice to have someone that can understand a bit of what I'm going through better but I need to learn to fight too. We can't guarantee she will always be there when I'm in trouble. And what about you, you said these people were dangerous and they are going to be angry about having been locked up? What if they hurt you, worse than Mohinder did and I'm not there to help you?" I say to him.

"This is different than what happened then, and I'll have an experienced partner to help me take them in. I'll be fine. Trust me"


End file.
